Can our Stories and Narratives of Food Feed our Wholeness and Joy?

May 17, 2022 Ada Cuadrado

What is wholeness? And how do we lift up food narratives that feed our wholeness in ways that nourish deeply and witness us in the fullness of our impact? What can we learn from the storied lineage of Black food changemakers about leading with wholeness, care and joy to transform our shared food culture? These were the questions RFRS Advisory Board Member and creator of Savor & Sage, Stefani Renée Medley, brought to the table in a virtual conversation held in mid April with food scholar activist, Lindsey Lunsford and food writer & host of Afros & Knives, Tiffani Rozier.

Our Around The Table series features informal conversations between RFRS community members with thought leaders, elders, organizers, and friends. Together, we take a deep dive––sinking our teeth into the juicy stories, live questions, and critical conversations buzzing in the food and culture space.

How Do We Decolonize and Reimagine Food Culture?

December 8, 2021 Shizue RocheAdachi

What is food culture? And, how do we reclaim and decolonize mainstream food culture to nourish a future rooted in care, healing, liberation and joy? These were the questions RFRS Director of Communications and Narrative Design, Shizue Roche Adachi, brought to the table in a November Around The Table conversation with two acclaimed food leaders and activists who have long been working in the food culture space, Jocelyn Jackson and Rowen White.

What is Cultural Strategy? And How To Seed, Feed & Feel Into A Worldview of Plenty

September 2, 2021 Nayantara Sen

What does it mean to transform our organization in service of deep, sustainable culture change? And what does it take to cultivate a worldview of plenty? These were the questions RFRS Director of Programs and Cultural Strategies, Nayantara Sen, brought to the table in an expansive conversation on abundance and cultural strategy with long-time friends, guides, collaborators and mentors Julie Quiroz of New Moon Collaborations and Tammy Johnson of TMJ Universe.

Platforming or Tokenizing? RFRS and White Supremacy in Food Spaces

June 23, 2021 Real Food Real Stories

Around The Table features informal conversations between RFRS community members with thought leaders, organizers, and friends in food about the juicy stories and critical conversations we’re chewing on.

The first post of the series, we’re excited to welcome 2021 RFRS Facilitator Cohort member, Stefani Renée Medley, in conversation with RFRS Executive Director, Jovida Ross. On a Tuesday afternoon in early June, Stefani and Jovida met up around the virtual table to talk tokenization and white supremacy in food spaces, and RFRS’s role and responsibility in shifting these dynamics.